Featured Research

Kids with conduct problems may have brains that under-react to painful images: May increase risk of adult psychopathy

Date:

May 2, 2013

Source:

Cell Press

Summary:

When children with conduct problems see images of others in pain, key parts of their brains don't react in the way they do in most people. This pattern of reduced brain activity upon witnessing pain may serve as a neurobiological risk factor for later adult psychopathy, say researchers.

When children with conduct problems see images of others in pain, key parts of their brains don't react in the way they do in most people. This pattern of reduced brain activity upon witnessing pain may serve as a neurobiological risk factor for later adult psychopathy, say researchers who report their findings in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 2.

Related Articles

That's not to say that all children with conduct problems are the same, or that all children showing this brain pattern in young life will become psychopaths. The researchers emphasize that many children with conduct problems do not persist with their antisocial behavior.

"Our findings indicate that children with conduct problems have an atypical brain response to seeing other people in pain," says Essi Viding of University College London. "It is important to view these findings as an indicator of early vulnerability, rather than biological destiny. We know that children can be very responsive to interventions, and the challenge is to make those interventions even better, so that we can really help the children, their families, and their wider social environment."

Conduct problems represent a major societal problem and include physical aggression, cruelty to others, and a lack of empathy, or "callousness." In the United Kingdom, where the study was conducted, about five percent of children qualify for a diagnosis of conduct problems. But very little is known about the underlying biology.

In the new study, Viding, Patricia Lockwood, and their colleagues scanned children's brains by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to see how those with conduct problems differ in their response to viewing images of others in pain.

The brain images showed that, relative to controls, children with conduct problems show reduced responses to others' pain specifically in regions of the brain known to play a role in empathy. The researchers also saw variation among those with conduct problems, with those deemed to be more callous showing lower brain activation than less callous individuals.

"Our findings very clearly point to the fact that not all children with conduct problems share the same vulnerabilities; some may have neurobiological vulnerability to psychopathy, while others do not," Viding says. "This raises the possibility of tailoring existing interventions to suit the specific profile of atypical processing that characterizes a child with conduct problems."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Cell Press. "Kids with conduct problems may have brains that under-react to painful images: May increase risk of adult psychopathy." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 May 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130502131859.htm>.

Cell Press. (2013, May 2). Kids with conduct problems may have brains that under-react to painful images: May increase risk of adult psychopathy. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 31, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130502131859.htm

Cell Press. "Kids with conduct problems may have brains that under-react to painful images: May increase risk of adult psychopathy." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130502131859.htm (accessed March 31, 2015).

More From ScienceDaily

More Mind & Brain News

Featured Research

Mar. 31, 2015 — In addition to their physical injuries, women who are victims of domestic violence are also at a greater risk of mental health problems such as depression and psychotic symptoms. "We studied the ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015 — A unique pattern of immune molecules in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome have been discovered, providing insights into the basis for cognitive ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015 — Children who get a taste of their parents' wine now and then may be more likely than their peers to start drinking by high school, according to a new report. The findings are based on 561 Rhode ... full story

Mar. 30, 2015 — Neuroscientists are taking inspiration from natural motor control to design new prosthetic devices that can better replace limb function. Researchers have tested a range of brain-controlled devices ... full story

Mar. 30, 2015 — Speaking in public is the top fear for many people. Now, researchers have developed an intelligent user interface for 'smart glasses' that gives real-time feedback to the speaker on volume modulation ... full story

Mar. 30, 2015 — To help scientists make sense of 'brain big data,' researchers have used data mining to create www.neuroelectro.org, a publicly available website that acts like Wikipedia, indexing physiological ... full story

Mar. 30, 2015 — The moon does not influence the timing of human births or hospital admissions, a new study finds, confirming what astronomers have known for decades. The study illustrates how intelligent people ... full story

Mar. 30, 2015 — An estimated eight million adults in the U.S. suffer from binge eating disorder. Now, researchers have shown that compulsive binging on foods that are high in fat and sugar can trigger specific ... full story

Mar. 30, 2015 — New estimates suggest that 20 to 30 percent of opioid analgesic drugs prescribed for chronic pain are misused, while the rate of opioid addiction is approximately 10 percent. "On average, misuse was ... full story

Featured Videos

AAA: Distracted Driving a Serious Teen Problem

AP (Mar. 25, 2015) — While distracted driving is not a new problem for teens, new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says it&apos;s much more serious than previously thought. (March 25)
Video provided by AP

Many Don't Know They Have Alzheimer's, But Their Doctors Do

Newsy (Mar. 24, 2015) — According to a new study by the Alzheimer&apos;s Association, more than half of those who have the degenerative brain disease aren&apos;t told by their doctors.
Video provided by Newsy

A Quick 45-Minute Nap Can Improve Your Memory

Newsy (Mar. 23, 2015) — Researchers found those who napped for 45 minutes to an hour before being tested on information recalled it five times better than those who didn&apos;t.
Video provided by Newsy

Related Stories

Sep. 24, 2013 — When individuals with psychopathy imagine others in pain, brain areas necessary for feeling empathy and concern for others fail to become active and be connected to other important regions involved ... full story

July 24, 2013 — A brain imaging study in the Netherlands shows individuals with psychopathy have reduced empathy while witnessing the pains of others. When asked to empathize, however, they can activate their ... full story

May 7, 2012 — New research provides the strongest evidence to date that psychopathy is linked to specific structural abnormalities in the brain. The study is the first to confirm that psychopathy is a distinct ... full story

May 19, 2011 — Psychopaths are charming, but they often get themselves and others in big trouble; their willingness to break social norms and lack of remorse means they are often at risk for crimes and other ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.